Book/Dissertation / PhD Thesis

FZJ-2020-00621

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Quantifying the Impact of Inhomogeneity, Transport and Recombination in Emerging Thin-Film Solar Cells

Kaienburg, P. (Corresponding author)FZJ*

2019
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH Zentralbibliothek, Verlag Jülich
ISBN: 978-3-95806-440-9

Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/24337

Abstract: Thin-film solar cells represent the most relevant technological extension of the photovoltaic energy conversion landscape, which is currently dominated by silicon tech-nology. However, the very concept of thin-film solar cells brings inherent challenges. Firstly, the deposition of thin-film solar cells with large aspect ratio introduces inevitable lateral inhomogeneity in the structure. Secondly, absorber films deposited from the gas or liquid phase are of inferior electronic quality compared to monocrystalline silicon technology, meaning that charge carrierre combination is enhanced and charge transport is slowed down. This thesis provides methodologies to identify and assess critical parameters for the two major challenges of inhomogeneous absorber layers and absorber layers with low electronic quality. The presented concepts introduce metrics that allow quantitatively evaluating and comparing different materials or systems with respect to the given phenomena. Thus, these concepts will contribute to the continuous and structured technological progress of thin-film solar cells. Specifically, a methodology is presented to assess any detrimental impact of inhomogeneity in the absorber film in the form of pinholes with regard to the solar cell performance. Different experimentally tested contact configurations turn out to behave qualitatively similar but show major quantitative differences. With regard to the electronic quality, a thorough analysis of the influencing factors on the fill factor is conducted and a material-based electronic quality factor is defined herein. The electronic quality factor functions as a figure of merit for the fill factor that reflects the interplay of charge carrier transport and charge carrierre combination. By providing a method to assess the electronic quality factor of thin-film absorbers through basic characterization methods, the study offers a widely applicable tool to evaluate different materials or technologies in terms of charge carrier collection. This approachis especially valuable for tracking the progress of organic solar cells, [...]

Note: Dissertation, Univ. Duisburg, 2019

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Photovoltaik (IEK-5)

Research Program(s):

1. 899 - ohne Topic (POF3-899) (POF3-899)

Appears in the scientific report 2020

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Database coverage:
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